Routledge Studies in Linguistics

Polari - The Lost Language of Gay Men

1st Edition

By Paul Baker
September 20, 2002

Polari is a secret form of language mainly used by homosexual men in London and other cities during the twentieth century. Derived in part from the slang lexicons of numerous stigmatised and itinerant groups, Polari was also a means of socialising, acting out camp performances and reconstructing a ...